Flexible supports for rifles, spotting scopes, and the like

ABSTRACT

A flexible yoke or mounting body for a pod support apparatus, such as a monopod or bipod, includes a resilient section interposed between leg(s) of the pod support and a device supported thereon. The resilient section is preferably formed of a bendable elastomeric material to thereby facilitate manual tilting of the portable equipment on the pod support apparatus. In a multipod embodiment, the yoke or mounting body may include multiple leg extensions of elastomeric material for detachably securing multiple support legs thereto in angularly-spaced relation. The resilient section may allow the legs of a multipod to be moved independently of each other. A quick-detachable coupling device is preferably provided for detachably and rotatably coupling a piece of portable equipment such as a rifle or spotting scope to the pod support device.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/245,953,filed Oct. 6, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to monopods, bipods, and multipod supportdevices for supporting rifles, spotting scopes, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Monopods and bipods are known for use with rifles and other light armsfor supporting a portion of the weight of the rifle on a support surfaceto improve aiming and reduce fatigue. They are also sometimes used tosupport other aimed devices, such as spotting scopes and cameras, forexample. Bipods specially designed for use with rifles and other longguns typically attach directly to the gun barrel or to a forend (forwardpart) of the gun stock. Some known firearm bipods include legs thatpivot together for storage. Many bipods for rifles include relativelycomplicated mechanical pivot and adjustment mechanisms and are heavy andexpensive to manufacture. In addition to increasing a user'sload-carrying burden, the weight of a heavy bipod is also believed toimpair the aim and/or accuracy of the firearm to which it is mounted.Many other issues relating to various known bipod designs are describedin or evident from prior patents.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,622 of Desch, Jr. describes an integrated firearmstock and support system including a pair of pivoting and telescopingbipod legs that are retractable into a slot in the underside of theforend of the stock for storage. This convenient bipod is relativelylightweight and compact, but requires the gun to be retrofitted orcustom made with the special stock.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,015 of Sharp describes a bipod and mount featuring aball-in-socket joint between the bipod and the firearm. In oneembodiment, the ball attachment of the ball-and-socket joint is attachedto the firearm via a sling swivel stud commonly found along theunderside of the forend of the stock on most rifles. In this embodiment,the ball attachment also includes an auxiliary sling swivel stud thatextends aft of where the ball attachment attaches to the firearm. Thesocket is formed in a split body of the bipod, which is made of twopieces of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene to facilitate adetachable snap-fit between the ball and socket. The legs of the Sharp'015 bipod are rotatably connected to the body so that they can befolded together for storage and transport.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,188 of Harris describes a bipod adapter including anelongate rubber hinge-like member that extends longitudinally along theunderside of the barrel between a base member attached to the forend ofthe firearm stock and a bipod mounting member to which a bipod iscoupled. The rubber hinge member is strong enough to support the firearmin the normal position, but yieldable to allow the firearm to bemanually pivoted to either side relative to the bipod when resting thebipod's legs on an uneven surface.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,071 of Peterson describes a hiking staff including athreaded stud that extends from its upper end for attaching aninverted-V-shaped monopod head thereto. Peterson '071 also describes theuse of two such hiking staffs with an articulating head to form anadjustable bipod rest for guns, binoculars, cameras, and the like. Thesebipod and monopod devices are readily disassembled and feature multi-usecomponents. However they lack a coupling for attaching the monopod orbipod to a firearm.

The present inventor has recognized a need for improved monopod andmultipod support devices.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a bipod for supporting a piece of aimed portableequipment such as a rifle or spotting scope comprises a pair of legscoupled together by a yoke having a resilient section interposed betweenthe legs and the portable equipment supported thereon. The resilientsection is preferably formed of an elastomeric material and sized toallow the portable equipment to be manually tilted forward, rearward,and to either side relative to the legs.

In a simplified embodiment, an elongate flexible mounting body havingopposing first and second ends is firmly attached via its first end to aproximal end of a monopod support leg. A detachable coupling device isprovided for detachably securing a piece of aimed portable equipment tothe second end of the mounting body. The coupling device preferablyallows the portable equipment to remain rotatable relative to themounting body when coupled thereto. The mounting body has a resilientneck section interposed between the portable equipment and the supportleg, which is formed of an elastomeric material that is sufficientlyflexible so as to allow the portable equipment to be manually tilted invarious directions relative to the support leg. In some embodiments,multiple support legs are attached to and diverge from the mounting bodyto form a multipod support apparatus.

Also disclosed is a flexible yoke for a multipod support apparatus. In apreferred embodiment, the yoke comprises a neck section and multiplespaced apart leg extensions depending therefrom. The leg extensions areadapted for securing multiple support legs thereto in angularly-spacedrelation. A quick-detachable coupling device is preferably secured tothe neck section opposite the leg extensions for detachably coupling theyoke to a piece of portable equipment. Preferably at least one of theneck section and the leg extensions is formed of an elastomeric materialto thereby facilitate manual tilting of a piece of portable equipmentsupported on the multipod support apparatus.

Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a bipod in accordance with a firstembodiment, attached to and supporting a rifle;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the bipod of FIG. 1, partlydisassembled to show detail of a quick-detachable coupling and removablelegs;

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of a male part of the quick-detachablecoupling of FIG. 2 and hardware that attaches the male part to a swivelstud of the rifle;

FIG. 4 is an exploded assembly view of the bipod of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of a bipod yoke of FIG. 4, taken alonglines 5-5; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of a monopod support apparatus accordingto a second embodiment, attached to and supporting a rifle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a bipod 10 according to a first embodiment supporting arifle 20 on a support surface. With reference to FIG. 1, bipod 10includes a yoke 30 that couples together a pair of downwardly dependinglegs 32 and 34 of bipod 10 in angularly-spaced relation. A couplingdevice 40 attached to yoke 30 adjacent a neck section 44 thereof andopposite legs 32 and 34 couples bipod 10 to rifle 20. Although thepreferred embodiments are shown in the drawings supporting a rifle,these and other embodiments of bipod 10 and other support apparatusesdescribed herein may be used to support various other kinds of portableequipment, and may be particularly useful with portable equipment thatit is necessary to aim at a target, such as shotguns, handguns,crossbows, and other light projectile-launching weapons, cameras,binoculars, telescopes, spotting scopes, and video cameras, for example.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation view of rifle 20 and bipod 10, partlydisassembled to show detail of coupling device 40. In the embodimentshown, coupling mechanism 40 includes quick-detachable couplingmechanism including male and female parts 52 and 54 that may be coupledand decoupled by merely inserting a male plug portion 104 (FIGS. 3-4) ofmale part 52 into a socket bore 110 (FIG. 4) of female part 54, andthereafter decoupled by manually pulling apart male and female parts 52,54 along their axis of engagement 94. In an alternative embodiment (notshown), coupling device 40 may include a locking or latching mechanismto help prevent bipod 10 from being inadvertently detached from rifle20. In still other embodiments not shown in the drawings, couplingdevice 40 may include another kind of coupling or fastener, such as athreaded fastener. Yoke 30 may also be permanently attached to a rifleor other portable device (not shown).

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded assembly view of bipod 10 and a swivelstud 60 of rifle 20, but omitting legs 32 and 34 of bipod 10. Withreference to FIGS. 2 and 4, yoke 30 includes spaced-apart first andsecond leg extensions 66 and 68, which depend from neck section 44 anddiverge therefrom with an angular spacing therebetween of approximately40° (although substantially smaller or larger angular spacings may alsobe used). Leg extensions 66 and 68 are coupled to legs 32 and 34,respectively, via a downwardly opening socket 72 in each of the legextensions 66, 68. The sockets 72 are sized to fit a cylindrical pin 78(FIG. 2) projecting from the end of each of the legs 32 and 34 in amanually insertable and removable press fit. The fit between sockets 72and pins 78, allows legs 32, 34 to be conveniently assembled anddisassembled from yoke 30 in the field. Alternatively, legs 32, 34 maybe attachable to yoke 30 via another kind of connector, such as athreaded stud or quick connect (not shown). In the embodiment shown, legextensions 66 and 68 and sockets 72 extend for a majority of the overalllength of yoke 30. However, in alternative embodiments, leg extensions66 and 68 may be much shorter than shown or even of essentially nolength relative to other parts of yoke 30.

Although bipod 10 includes two legs, other support apparatuses accordingto alternative embodiments may have only one leg (a monopod), or morethan two legs, such as 3, 4 or 5 legs. Multipods (having two or morelegs) and monopods (having only one leg) provide different degrees ofportability, stability, and ease of use, and some configurations may bemore suitable for end uses than others.

In the embodiments illustrated, legs 32, 34 are only a few inches inlength, for supporting rifle 20 at a height suitable for shooting from aprone position. However, in other embodiments, legs 32, 34 may besignificantly longer in length, i.e., as much as several feet long, foruse from a standing position. Different lengths or styles of legs 32, 34may be selectively interchangeably coupled to yoke 30, provided that allof the styles have pins 78 sized to fit within sockets 72. Thus, asingle yoke may be utilized with any of multiple sets of legs,including, for example, a first set of legs having a short length forshooting from a prone position, a second set of legs of medium lengthfor shooting from a sitting or kneeling position, and a third set oflegs of long length for shooting from a standing position. Legs 32, 34may comprise one or more segments of rigid tubing, and preferablysegments of tubing formed of aluminum or another metal and arranged in atelescoping manner for adjustable length, such as described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,027,087 and 6,663,071, both of Peterson, which are incorporatedherein by reference. Pins 78 may also be formed of a metal, such asaluminum, or of another relatively rigid material, such as an injectedmolded thermoplastic. Pins 78 may be press-fit into tubing of legs 32,34, formed integrally therewith, or otherwise fastened thereto.

Yoke 30 preferably includes at least one resilient section interposedbetween rifle 20 and legs 32 and 34, which is formed of a bendableresilient material such as an elastomer. The bendable resilient sectionallows rifle 20 or other portable equipment supported by bipod 10 to betilted manually in one or more directions, while providing restorativeforce for returning the supported equipment to its original or restingposition (or nearly thereto). In a preferred embodiment, the resilientsection has a shape and physical characteristics that allow thesupported equipment to be tilted substantially forward, rearward, and toeither side relative to the legs, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 aboverifle 20. For example, resilient section may allow the supportedequipment to be tilted merely a few degrees from its resting position,up to 90° or more from its resting position, or any amount in between.The amount of flexibility in any particular direction is a function ofthe shape of the resilient section and the material from which it ismade.

FIG. 5 illustrates a horizontal cross sectional shape of neck 44 takenalong line 5-5 of FIG. 4. With reference to FIG. 5, the horizontal crosssection may preferably have a width W of approximately 1.25 inch and adepth D of approximately 0.875 inch, for an aspect ratio ofapproximately 10:7 (1.43:1). In other embodiments, width W and depth Dof the horizontal cross section of the resilient section may range frombetween approximately 0.5 inch to approximately 3 inches and have anaspect ratio of up to 3:1, but may more preferably be less than 1.5 inchin width and depth, with an aspect ratio of less than 2:1. Consistentwith an expected usage of bipod with rifles, the oval cross section ofneck 44 may allow rifle 20 to be more easily tilted in the forward andrearward directions than to the sides. In other embodiments, the supportdevice and particularly the resilient section may be symmetric and/or ofa circular cross section, as in the monopod support device 200 of FIG.6, for example. In still other embodiments (not shown), the resilientsection may have a cross section of another shape altogether, such asrectangular, trapezoidal, or triangular, for example.

Resilient neck 44 may be sufficiently resilient in the rearwarddirection to allow the legs 32, 34 to be quickly folded back and heldagainst the stock 130 of the rifle 20 for portability without detachingthe legs 32, 34 or yoke 30 from rifle 20. To redeploy legs 32, 34, theyneed merely be released, whereupon the resiliency of yoke 30 causes legs32, 34 to swing back to their original position.

Resilient section may comprise any portion or all of neck section 44,first leg extension 66, second leg extension 68, and other portions orparts of yoke 30. For example, the resilient section may comprise theregion of neck section 44 between female part 54 and the terminus ofsockets 72, where yoke may be relatively freely bent, uninhibited byrigid metal pins 78 or female part 54. In other embodiments, more thanone resilient section may exist to provide more than one region wherebending may occur. The resilient section preferably includes a zone ofresiliency interposed between legs 32, 34 to allow the legs to be movedindependently of each other. For example, bipod 10 may be easilyadjusted for leveling rifle 20 on uneven terrain merely by moving thelegs 32, 34 to adjust the relative angular positions thereof. In thismanner, the feet of the legs 32, 34 can be moved laterally, forward, orrearward to desired locations on a support surface. The feet of the legs32, 34 may be moved several inches or several feet from their restingpositions depending on the length of the legs 32, 34. This allows astable support platform to be quickly and easily established withoutneed to operate complicated mechanical adjustment mechanisms. In oneembodiment, the zone of resiliency may take the form of a web ofresilient material between leg extensions 66, 68. The zone of resiliencymay also comprise a pair of resilient sections, each interposed betweenone of the leg extensions 66, 68 and rifle 20.

Bending regions of the resilient section, including multiple bendingregions in combination, may result in flexibility characteristics ofyoke 30 which are dependent on the direction in which yoke is beingflexed. Flexibility characteristics may also be made asymmetric bydesign. A flexible resilient section facilitates aiming of a piece ofportable equipment such as rifle 20 and may also prevent negativeeffects on the aim or accuracy of a firearm that can otherwise beinduced by heavy prior-art bipod support devices which are inflexiblethe direction of recoil.

Preferably, yoke 30 and legs 66 and 68 are molded of one piececonstruction of a thermoplastic elastomer such as a styrenic blockcopolymer, fluorosilicone rubber, EPDM, polyurethane, SANTOPRENE™, orblends thereof, for example. The material type, durometer, andelasticity of the elastomer may be selected based on the load expectedto be supported by bipod 10. For example, in a preferred embodiment forlight arms including hunting rifles, yoke 30 may be formed of athermoplastic elastomer having a nominal durometer of approximately80-90 Shore A, tensile strength of approximately 1200 pounds per squareinch (psi), tensile elongation of approximately 1100.0%, and tearstrength of approximately 160.0 pounds per linear inch (pli). Anotherimportant consideration in the selection of a suitable elastomermaterial is the range of temperature conditions in which the device willbe used. Outdoor enthusiasts and hunters utilize multipod supportdevices in conditions ranging from summer heat in excess of 115° F. toarctic winters where temperatures may dip well below −20° F. Thus, theelastomer should be selected to retain a substantial amount of strength,flexibility, and elasticity throughout a relatively wide range oftemperatures. One such suitable material is a blend of 85% by weight ofa styrenic block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer (SBC/TES) such as theformulation sold by RTP Company of Winona, Minn., USA under product No.RTP 2799 Ex 109692, mixed with 15% by weight of a polypropylenehomopolymer sold by Basell North America, Inc. of Elkton, Md., USA underthe product name Pro-fax™ 6323. This special blend may be capable ofperforming in temperatures ranging between −90° F. and 210° F. withoutsubstantial degradation in its strength, flexibility, and elasticity,for example.

For a secure connection between an upper end 84 of yoke adjacent necksection 44 and female part 54 of coupling device 40, yoke 30 may bemolded around female part 54 utilizing an insert molding process. Femalepart 54 may include anchoring features such as a flange 88 to engageportions of yoke 30 which are overmolded around or onto the features.Alternatively, female part 54 may be bonded with or otherwise fastenedto yoke. In another embodiment (not shown), the socket and detentfeatures of female part 54 described below may be formed or moldeddirectly into yoke 30, or into a molded or formed insert, rather thanthe machined and assembled metal parts of female part 54. In still otherembodiments, the female and male parts of coupling device 40 may bereversed, so that male part 52 is anchored to yoke 30 and female part 54is attached to the rifle 20 or other portable equipment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section view of male part 52 of couplingdevice 40 and attachment hardware for mounting male part 52 to rifle 20or another piece of portable equipment. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4,male and female parts 52, 54 may be releasably retained together by adetent mechanism including a circumferential groove 102 formed around aplug portion 104 of male part 52 that is engaged by detent balls 106which are urged inwardly into a bore 110 of female part 54 through apair of opposing lateral holes 114. The detent balls 106 are urgedinwardly by detent springs 118 captured and compressed by detent plugs122, which are threaded into lateral holes 114.

The connection provided by coupling device 40 is preferably freelyrotatable about a vertical axis 94 to readily facilitate horizontal(yaw) adjustments to the aim of rifle 10 relative to legs 32, 34, asindicated by arrows in FIG. 1 near coupling device 40. At the same time,detent mechanism is preferably strong enough to support the weight ofbipod 10 without releasing, so that bipod 10 is readily repositionedwith rifle 20 when rifle 20 is lifted and moved. The detent mechanismand other male/female coupling mechanisms that couple together alongvertical axis 94 resist transverse forces and will not detach duringrecoil of a firearm, yet are easy to nearly silently couple and decouplewith one hand and without looking at the coupling. This may make itpossible for a hunter to attach and detach bipod 10 without needing tolose sight of prey or frightening it away. Male and female parts 52, 54are preferably made of a metal such as steel or aluminum for durabilityand strength, and may be anodized or painted to reduce surfacereflectivity and aesthetic appearance. In other embodiments, male andfemale parts 52, 54 may be made of other materials, such as highstrength plastic materials.

Male and female parts 52, 54 are interchangeable with like parts mountedto other guns and yokes. This interchangeability allows bipod 10 to bequickly removed from rifle 20 and re-attached to a different gun onwhich another like male part is mounted. The interchangeability of maleand female parts 52, 54 also enables a user to quickly detach rifle 20from one bipod 10 and reattach it to another bipod or other supportdevice or accessory on which another like female part is mounted.

The detent mechanism of coupling device 40 may also be achieved throughstructures or elements other than those described above, such as amolded detent ridge in a resilient socket or plug member, for example.In some embodiments, a readily detachable retention can be achievedthrough another quick-detachable coupling mechanism, such as one of thecoupling mechanisms described by U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,796 of Helling; U.SPat. No. 6,152,645 of Sanford; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,100 of LeClinche, for example. In other embodiments, releasable retention may beachieved through means other than a detent mechanism, such as a latchingmechanism, snap ring, or other device. The term quick-detachablecoupling device, thus, refers to all manner of mechanical couplingdevices that do not require tools for coupling or decoupling, are notthreaded, are possible to securely join with one hand, and do notrequire multiple complicated maneuvers to detach (i.e., a single handmotion or simple series of two or three hand motions is sufficient).

In the embodiment shown, male part 52 is attached to the underside of aforend of stock 130, preferably via a swivel stud 60 preinstalled onmost hunting rifles. To securely attach male part 52 to stock 130, athreaded sleeve 140 is positioned over swivel stud 60. A retaining pinextends through a cross bore 144 extending through sleeve 140 and aneyelet 148 of stud 60, to restrict rotation of threaded sleeve 140 andto align a flat 162 of sleeve toward the muzzle end of rifle 20. Malepart 52 is then threaded onto threaded sleeve 140, with a soft take-upwasher 154 positioned between male part 52 and stock 130 to preventmarring of stock 130 and to prevent moisture and debris from collectingbehind male part 52. A threaded set screw hole 158 cross-drilled intomale part 52 is aligned with the barrel of rifle 20 so that a set screw166 can be threaded therein and tightened against flat 162 to preventmale part 52 from coming unthreaded from threaded sleeve 140. Anauxiliary swivel stud 180 is preferably threaded into a swivel stud hole184 in male part 52 opposite set screw hole 158 to provide a base towhich a sling 188 can be attached (FIG. 6). A plastic swivel washer 192allows swivel screw 180 to be snugly tightened to a point where itseyelet is positioned horizontally to receive a sling swivel of sling188.

FIG. 6 shows a single-leg support device or monopod 200 according toanother embodiment. With reference to FIG. 6, monopod 200 includes anelongate mounting body 210 having a first end 214 supported on andcoupled to a proximal end of a support leg 220, such as a telescopinghiking staff of the kind described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,017 or anyother support leg. A threaded mounting stud 224 extending from theproximal end of support leg 220 provides a fastener for mating with athreaded insert (not shown) in mounting body 210. A coupling device suchas one of those described herein with reference to FIGS. 1-4 or anotherquick-detachable coupling device preferably detachably rotatably securesa second end 230 of mounting body 210 opposite first end 214 to a rifle20 or other piece of portable equipment.

Mounting body includes a resilient neck section 240 interposed betweenrifle 20 and support leg 220 which is formed of an elastomeric materialthat is sufficiently flexible so as to allow the portable equipment tobe manually tilted in any direction relative to the support leg 220,including forwardly, rearwardly, and to either side. Suitableelastomeric materials are listed above with reference to yoke 30 ofFIGS. 1-5. Neck section 240 of mounting body 210 is preferably circularin its horizontal cross section so that the rotational orientation ofmounting body 210 has no effect on the maneuverability of the portableequipment, although other cross sections may also be used. Neck section240 may include a necked bending region having a horizontal crosssection with an aspect ratio of less than 2:1. In other embodiments,mounting body 210 may include a plurality of feet or leg extensions witha fastening device such as a threaded insert, for attaching multiplesupport legs to complete a bipod or multipod support device.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope ofthe present invention should, therefore, be determined only by thefollowing claims.

1. A bipod for supporting a piece of aimed portable equipment,comprising: a pair of legs; and a yoke coupling the legs together and tothe portable equipment, the yoke having a resilient section interposedbetween the portable equipment and the legs, the resilient section beingformed of an elastomeric material and sized to allow the portableequipment to be manually tilted forward, rearward, and to either siderelative to the legs, and a neck section and a pair of spaced apart legextensions depending from the neck section, such that the legs areattached at a proximal end thereof to the leg extensions, and the legextensions are formed of an elastomeric material, wherein each of theleg extensions includes a downwardly-opening socket and each of the legextensions is removably press fit into the socket.
 2. The bipod of claim1 in which at least a portion of the resilient section is interposedbetween the legs to allow the legs to be moved independently of eachother.
 3. The bipod of claim 1 in which the legs are detachably coupledto the yoke.
 4. The bipod of claim 1 further comprising a detachablecoupling mechanism that releasably couples the yoke to the portableequipment.
 5. The bipod of claim 4 in which the yoke is molded to atleast a part of the detachable coupling mechanism.
 6. The bipod of claim4 in which the detachable coupling mechanism includes a first matingpart and a second mating part, the first part including a detent and thesecond part including a detent groove that engages the detent.
 7. Thebipod of claim 1 further comprising a rotatable coupling device forcoupling the yoke to the portable equipment, the coupling deviceallowing the portable equipment to rotate freely relative to the legsabout a generally vertical axis.
 8. The bipod of claim 7 in which thecoupling device is detachable.
 9. The bipod of claim 1 in which each ofthe legs includes multiple telescoping leg sections for manualadjustment of the length of the legs.
 10. The bipod of claim 1, in whichthe neck section includes a bending region, the bending region having ahorizontal cross section with an aspect ratio of less than 2:1.
 11. Thebipod of claim 10, in which the horizontal cross section of the bendingregion is circular.